


Synopsis: The Vampire

by dairesfanficrefuge_archivist



Category: Highlander: The Series
Genre: Meta, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-12-31
Updated: 2003-12-31
Packaged: 2018-12-18 07:15:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11869257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dairesfanficrefuge_archivist/pseuds/dairesfanficrefuge_archivist
Summary: Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived atDaire's Fanfic Refuge. Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address onDaire's Fanfic Refuge's collection profile.





	Synopsis: The Vampire

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Daire, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Daire's Fanfic Refuge](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Daire%27s_Fanfic_Refuge). Deciding to give the stories a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Daire's Fanfic Refuge's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/dairesfanficrefuge/profile).

The Vampire

**THE VAMPIRE**

Folklore defines the traditional vampire as a blood sucking reanimated corpse. In this episode, our evil Immie takes advantage of peoples' superstitions and weaknesses to get away with murder. 

An Immortal masquerading as a vampire? Why not? A vampire can be loosely defined as anyone who preys on others. Any extortionist or scam artist qualifies. The vampire need not crave 'real' blood. That which makes life meaningful for you is your 'blood.' It could be your business, your families, reputation, or your honor. Someone who deprives you of these may rightly be considered a bloodsucker. 

I thought Jeremy Brudnell portrayed a delectably thirsty Ward. 

This episode further refines the delicate dance performed between Duncan and Joe as they slowly renew each other's trust and friendship. 

**_New Characters:_**

**NICHOLAS WARD** \- Immortal, has a neat MO, likes to marry in haste, mourn at leisure, while counting his inherited wealth. 

**ALAN BAINES** \- a 'vampire-buster,' very sure he knows the answers. 

**HENRY JACOM** \- along with William Stillwell, wealthy owners of a business MacLeod seeks to invest in. 

**WILLIAM STILLWELL** \- see above. 

**JULIETTE JACOM** \- Henry's beautiful daughter. 

**HELENE PIFER** \- Daughter of the slain music mogul Barry Pifer. 

**PETER WELLS** \- Barry Pifer's business partner. 

* * *

Luxurious home, Paris 

In his indoor pool (heated)-   
Barry Pifer's relaxing,   
The cares of the wealthy-   
Are so _very_ taxing.   
As he swims to the edge-   
A strong hand grips his head,   
Holds him under the water-   
Until he is dead. 

At the wake, Mac is told-   
When he asks to know more,   
'He swam drunk all the time,   
Never happened before.'   
Later on, Helene Pifer-   
Walks MacLeod to his car.   
She is glad for his comfort,   
'What a good friend you are.' 

Paris Street 

MacLeod feels the Buzz,   
Tells Helene to go in,   
He will search through a tunnel,   
Who is hidden therein?   
The figure, familiar-   
Framed in pale moonlight,   
'Ward!' he exclaims...   
But, it fades in the night. 

Mac steps a bit further,   
No Buzz can he sense,   
But _SOMEONE'S_ behind him!   
He reacts in defense-   
Strikes a man in the jaw-   
With a hard uppercut,   
' _DAWSON?_ ' Dumbfounded,   
Lifting Joe off his butt. 

'I thought you left Paris,'   
It's a dangerous place.'   
Joe: 'Yeah, strangers smack you,   
Right in the face.'   
'Are you now tailing after-   
Nicholas Ward?'   
Mac remembers him well,   
The vampire with a sword. 

Flashback, Paris, 1840 

Impromptu performance,   
In a bar by the Seine.   
The players act out-   
'The vampire strikes again'   
The patrons throw coins,   
They are spellbound and awed-   
To mask their deep fears-   
They laugh and applaud. 

Stillwell and Jacom,   
Two partners that share-   
A profitable firm-   
By the name of Belaire,   
They too, watch the show,   
By emotion, they're caught,   
Their third partner died-   
Met a vampire, it's thought. 

Mac researched Belaire,   
He wants to invest,   
The partners ask questions,   
Mac passes their test.   
The discussion of vampires-   
Interferes with their business,   
Stillwell: 'It's an old wives' tale!'   
But Jacom's scared sh-tless! 

Stillwell, with bravado-   
Leaves alone, bids 'Good-night.'   
Mac senses the Buzz-   
Then a loud shriek of fright!   
He dashes outside,   
On the pavement, ahead,   
A young woman found-   
Stillwell supine, and dead. 

A figure is fleeing!   
Mac and others give chase,   
Mac identifies Ward-   
By a glimpse of his face.   
Ward reaches the bridge,   
Then a shot brings him down!   
Hurtling into the river   
But Mac knows he won't drown. 

While a doctor examines-   
The _corpus delicti_   
A bystander notes-   
'The ground's, every _bit_ dry!   
He's pale, has no blood,   
I've no doubt, not a speck-   
A vampire attacked him,   
See the marks on his neck?' 

Alan Baines is the name-   
Of the vocal bystander-   
Who frightens those present,   
Meanwhile the Highlander-   
Is listening to Jacom...   
'If William had waited-   
He would still be alive.'   
Jacom's quite agitated. 

The doctor is oblivious-   
As Baines deftly plucks-   
A black woolen thread-   
That he carefully tucks-   
Away as a clue,   
He'll check it to find-   
The cloth that it came from,   
Its color and kind. 

Mac walks Jacom home-   
Where again, he meets Baines,   
He's a chaser of vampires,   
'They _exist!_ ' He maintains.   
'Princes of Darkness,   
Night creatures, _IMMORTALS!_ '   
Mac: 'Have you seen them?'   
He's in no mood for quarrels. 

As Mac takes his leave-   
The Buzz hits him hard,   
Jacom's fair daughter, Juliette-   
Enters with Nicholas Ward,   
Ward's Belaire's lawyer!   
Mac: 'Perhaps we _HAVE_ met?'   
Ward: 'I'm sure we haven't,   
I wouldn't forget.' 

Ward's smooth, nonchalant,   
Well-spoken, polite.   
Not at all the bloodthirsty-   
Fiend of the night.   
Later Baines will provide-   
A cross, holy water.   
Wanting Jacom safeguarded,   
As well as his daughter. 

These are useless, of course,   
When Ward comes to call,   
Belaire's last partner-   
Must now take a fall.   
With a pincer contraption-   
Ward punctures his throat,   
Draws out Jacom's blood,   
And, 'That's all she wrote!' 

Paris, Present Day 

Joe Dawson tells Mac,   
'There is no evidence-   
That Ward has killed lately.'   
Mac conveys confidence-   
'He'll soon begin killing,   
And, when he does...then-   
He will cover it up-   
By killing again.' 

At the Pifer Home 

By the pool where her father-   
Was drowned by Ward's hand,   
Ward speaks to Helene,   
Of the marriage they've planned.   
'We'll be together,   
Till death us do part.'   
'There is no other way-   
I would have it, sweetheart.' 

Flashback, Paris, 1840, The Jacom Home 

Mac implies Ward committed-   
Three murders, most foul.   
Ward protests innocence,   
With an unctuous scowl.   
He is the firm's lawyer,   
What has he to gain?   
Anyone who thinks different-   
Isn't using his brain. 

'Your relation to Juliette?'   
Mac's suspicious doubts grow.   
'We are only _good friends._ '   
But the lady says...'No-   
We're about to be married,   
I am telling you first-   
Nicholas in Belaire's-   
Business will be immersed.' 

Alan Baines's Lab/Home 

Mac converses with Baines-   
About matters forensical.   
The black cashmere thread-   
Mac has brought, is identical-   
To the ones from the three-   
Victims of death untoward.   
The thread's from the coat-   
Of Nicholas Ward. 

Baines is convinced-   
That a vampire's to blame.   
Now he's found out-   
Nicholas Ward is his name.   
MacLeod gives a firm warning,   
'Leave Ward to me!'   
But Baines is the 'expert,'   
Too vain to agree. 

The Jacom Home 

Though it's late, Juliette-   
From her boudoir, emergent-   
Agrees to see Mac.   
He insists that it's urgent.   
'Ward killed your father,   
And his partners... _Beware!_   
You're the only one standing-   
Between him and Belaire!' 

She will _NOT_ be convinced!   
'Maybe _YOU_ did the deed!   
You wanted the firm.   
You did it for greed!'   
Mac tries to explain,   
It's her _LIFE_ that concerns him,   
Not his stake in Belaire,   
But in anger, she spurns him. 

Alan Baines's Lab/Home 

Ward sneaks in Baines's room,   
To clean up loose ends.   
On this 'expert's' destruction-   
Ward's fortune depends-   
Juliette can't suspect-   
That Ward was the baddy,   
The blood-sucking vampire-   
That killed dear old Daddy. 

Baines knows all the tricks,   
About vampires, he's smart.   
First he knocks Ward unconscious-   
Then a stake through the heart!   
He pounds it in well-   
With technique precise,   
But, when he turns his back,   
He hears, ' _That wasn't nice!_ ' 

Ward yanks out the stake-   
Then goes after Baines,   
'That wasn't very sporting!'   
Ward politely complains,   
As he plunges the stake-   
Into Baines with delight-   
'Do you get my _point?_ '   
Then he's gone in the night. 

An item of jewelry-   
That Ward always wore-   
Was found by Baines's body.   
MacLeod can't ignore-   
Evidence irrefutable.   
He'll play out this drama,   
Time to dust off-   
His trusty katana. 

Paris Street 

Ward thinks Mac is silly,   
'You marry for love.   
I marry for money.   
It's what I'm fondest of.'   
Mac knows he'll kill Juliette-   
For her wealth, to obtain it.   
Ward is sure the Highlander-   
Won't let him attain it. 

A carriage distracts them,   
They withdraw, 'It's been fun.'   
'We must do it again'   
Nicholas Ward has to run.   
A word to MacLeod-   
As Ward's off in the carriage.   
Tell Juliette, 'Good-bye!'   
Mac saved her from _THAT_ marriage. 

Paris, Present Day 

Joe Dawson's been checking,   
Ward has murdered three men,   
Same age, former schoolmates,   
The old pattern, again.   
Who will be his next victim?   
Mac: 'He marries for money.'   
Now MacLeod must discover,   
Who is Ward's latest honey? 

City Clerk's Office 

At Marriage Registration,   
There's a long wedding list,   
Mac pretends he's Ward's brother,   
No female can resist-   
When he smiles, 'Who's the bride?'   
Her name's no mere cipher,   
Nicholas Ward is to marry-   
Duncan's friend, Helene Pifer. 

Helene's Home 

Mac offers best wishes,   
Helene voices surprise,   
No one knew of their plans-   
To connubialize.   
'Nicky's passion for business-   
Is truly top-shelf.'   
'If only she knew,'   
MacLeod thinks to himself. 

What of Peter, her partner?   
He's not answering Mac's call,   
He's busy being murdered-   
By Ward, in his hall.   
Mac bursts in too late-   
Yet he sees Ward escaping.   
Though his chase is in vain-   
A plan, he is shaping. 

Outside Helene's Home 

With Joe by his side,   
(Are they bonding again?)   
They watch for Helene-   
Ward will call her... and then-   
They will follow behind her,   
But...Leave it to Nick!   
Up his sleeve, he has hidden-   
One last fiendish trick! 

As Helene scurries out,   
Cops pull up, arrest Mac!   
Ward relayed Mac's description,   
'Serial Killer, Maniac.'   
Cops don't notice Joe-   
Follow her to the wedding.   
Mac's released, joins him there.   
He won't miss _this_ beheading! 

Matrimonius interruptus!   
Mac displays no misgiving,   
'Really, MacLeod!   
I must make a _living!_   
Can't we make a _deal?_ '   
'No deals! Just us two!'   
Ward sends Helene home,   
'I've got something to do.' 

Old Hippodrome 

Ward: 'Hell of a show!'   
Mac: 'Always the same.'   
'Why spoil a good act?'   
They commence with their Game.   
Dark-haired Duncan in black,   
Dressed in white, the blonde Ward,   
But, fashion won't dictate-   
Who wields the best sword. 

Ward brings MacLeod down,   
'When I'm bad, I am _GREAT!_ '   
'Not great enough!'   
Mac's sword ends debate.   
Ward's last exclamation,   
Before he's dispatched-   
'Everyone is a _critic._ '   
_Swish!_ Head now detached! 

In the vast hippodrome-   
At the height of the day,   
The Quickening explodes-   
Massive fireworks display.   
Papers, debris-   
Whisked up through the air,   
Surround the Highlander-   
With a whirlwind fanfare. 

Outside Helen's Home 

'What did you tell her?'   
Joe Dawson has asked,   
'Ward had too much baggage,   
From his deeds in the past.   
His commitments demand-   
That his happiness smother,   
Sometimes one truth-   
Is more kind than another.' 

Mac: 'You _still_ following me?'   
Joe: 'That's what we do.   
If invited for a drink-   
Wouldn't need to tail you.'   
'Only drink with my friends.'   
Joe is crushed by Mac's jibe,   
'Hey Dawson!' Mac winks,   
'The bar opens at five.' 

Peace, Emit   
© 2001-2003 

**_Under the Kilt_ from Highlander: The Official Site: **

Don Paonessa, Creative Consultant, Post Production   
'I liked this show. We didn't do anything unusual with it other than in sound effects. We played sound effects to the point where Bill Panzer had called me up and said, 'We're getting some complaints that the show is too violent.' I said, 'We've been cutting back the violence.' 'No,' he said, 'it's the sound.' So we were really pushing the edge at that point, which was fun.' 

**Ken Gord, Producer**   
'I liked this show. I think Jeremy Brudenell was really fun. And I liked the Quickening. And I had an argument with Dennis Berry because he wanted to do the Quickening at night because he said you only shoot Quickenings at night because otherwise they don't look good. But I told him we weren't going to do an all-nighter at the hippodrome; it was a disused racetrack. And that because the place was beautiful, and because it was in shadows and because the special effects guys were tremendous it would look great. I guess I won the argument because I am the producer. And we shot it during the daytime and I thought it looked terrific, so there, Dennis, I proved my point.' 

~ Warmonger   
  
---


End file.
